Pear Brown Bettys

Brown Betty is a spiced fruit dessert with buttered breadcrumbs or cake-crumb topping that turns golden brown as it cooks. Who was Betty? No one seems to know. Our individual bettys have two layers of Bartlett pears. In between and on top is a blend of torn sourdough bread, butter, raw sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of apple cider.

1 (1 lb) loaf sourdough bread, crust removed, bread torn into small pieces
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup raw sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
1/8 tsp. kosher or sea salt
¾ cup apple cider
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
8 (about 3¾ lbs) Bartlett pears

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring halfway through, until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Coarsely crush with a rolling pin so that the largest pieces are the size of peas.

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs, raw sugar, spices, salt, ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. cider, and the lemon juice, freshly squeezed. Let stand 10 minutes.

Peel pears; cut into ½" chunks. Place a heaping ½ cup pears in each of 6 small (5") pie plates or ramekins. Top each with ¼ cup breadcrumb mixture; drizzle each with 1 Tbsp. cider. Top with remaining pears, then with remaining breadcrumb mixture.

Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until topping is browned and juices are bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.